Connection: Shakespeare and Greek Literature

Greek literature resembles that of Shakespeare in that they are both stories of tragedy.  The Greek qualifications for a tragedy was that  it must be relateable to the reader (in order to evoke emotion), and it also must involve a terrible misfortune to the main character.  In Homer's Oedipus, for example, the main character tries to avoid his fate, but unknowingly marries his mother and kills his father, fulfilling his destiny and creating disaster in his city and family. 

As we have seen so far in King Lear, the main characters have been put through hell; Shakespeare is making them go through the worst events possible... except death (because he knows he has to keep them alive for now).  From what we already know about Shakespeare, we can tell that the book will most likely end in tragic deaths for whom we call the good guys (i.e. Lear, Gloucester, Cordelia). 

There are many similarities between the tragedies in Oedipus and King Lear.  First, we see that both tragedies start on the family level, then lead to political problems.  Also, the protagonists in both tragedies are kings.  This makes the tragedy more "tragic" because the death of a king usually means chaos in his realm, thus affecting more people.  Another similarity between these two tragedies is that both protagonists lose their "sight."  Shakespeare repeatedly tells us that Lear is blind, suggesting not that he can't see, but that he is oblivious to the truth around him.  We  in Oedipus that after the protagonist realizes that he has both killed his father and married his mother, he gouges his own eyes as punishment.

The relationship between Shakespeare and Greek literature shows us one example of an influence on Shakespeare.  We know that Shakespeare wrote during the late Renaissance (a time when classical Greek literature was revisited) and early Boroque periods.  By understanding influences on Shakespeare, we can better understand his style and decision making throughout his writings.